Chapter 273: Era

Chapter 273: Era

Chu Ge’s family’s old house was relatively close to the city center, located in an old residential building for government employees built in the 1980s.

Before the reconstruction, Nanjiang was still very dilapidated. The location of the old house was considered suburban back then. However, as the city continued to expand outward with each new urban ring, it had now become part of the city center.

Chu Ge didn’t know how it happened. It was just the XX Institute of Geology back then, but how could it become so tall now. He also wondered how many of their neighbors were actually from the Geological Institute, how many were from special departments, and maybe only his parents were special? No matter how he looked at it, he didn’t think there was anything particularly remarkable about the neighbors, the gossiping elders.

The residential complex they lived in was a bit awkward. The main issue was that areas in the city center, similar to these old and rundown neighborhoods, were often designated as school districts. Unfortunately, they were not in the school district. They were neither in the school district nor had they been demolished.

Due to their city center location, the rent was still high, but these old and rundown homes were not easy to rent out.

After Chu Ge moved out, he tried to rent it out for a while. Perhaps due to bad luck, no one came to view the place for several months. When they did finally have some potential tenants, they were difficult to deal with, leading to several wasted encounters that consumed a lot of time. So, he eventually gave up on renting it out.

There were quite a few old and awkward neighborhoods like this within the Nanjiang city area. Chu Ge’s residential complex was not unique in this regard, but no matter how you looked at it, it was still rather unfortunate.

Walking through the old alleyways, Qiu Wuji held Chu Ge’s arm and looked around with curiosity. She hadn’t expected to find such an old and dilapidated place in the city center. It felt like the century-old buildings on the Bund were newer compared to this.

Chu Ge had previously mentioned that local delicacies could be found in these alleyways, and they hadn’t acted on it until now. In hindsight, it seemed quite interesting. It gave her a feeling of traveling back several decades in time, a different kind of charm compared to transmigrating from the book.

“Is this place less than forty years old?” Qiu Wuji asked.

“Yeah.”

“The changes in these forty years seem bigger than the four thousand years in our world.”

Chu Ge was momentarily stunned and then chuckled. “Yes, if we just consider smartphones, QR code payments, and high-speed trains, it’s all happened in these few years. When I was a child, people were still using pagers and brick phones, and we traveled by slow trains. And now... well, you know.”

“From pagers to Nokia, and now to this, it’s actually three different eras,” Chu Ge continued. “And when you look at new energy and self-driving cars now...every year, looking back at the previous one, it feels like a whole new era. We were born in an era of witnessing miracles. The changes we’ve seen in our lifetime will be more than what ancient people witnessed over ten generations. For someone like me, who writes and loves literature, I often feel that this is my good fortune.”

“We were born in this era...” Qiu Wuji pondered for a moment and then smiled brightly, “Hmm.”

I too was born in this era.

And the changes we’ve witnessed go beyond this era.

We’ve even experienced ancient times in the world of cultivation, and I’m about to attempt such changes in the world of cultivation.

Both of them had a heart filled with appreciation of literature and art, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished as they entered the entrance of the residential complex.

Before even reaching their destination, they overheard people talking. “That old Li from the Land Bureau rides a beat-up Phoenix bike to work every day. I asked him why he doesn’t buy an electric scooter, and he said it’s for exercise...”

“He’s just being stingy, hahaha...”

“I heard his son got into a 211 university.”

“The kids from their generation all have good grades. Taxation Officer Old Xu’s son, on the other hand, seems to have failed. I heard he’s going into some kind of livestreaming business, which really annoyed Old Xu.”

“A few years ago was even better. This generation is worse than the last...”

Chu Ge tilted his head, his lips curling into a half-smile, “You think so?”

The old man laughed, “Yes, yes, that’s it. You don’t quite match up...”

“Uh, since you already have a girlfriend, are you still writing books? How’s the income...”

“The income is average, it’s about the views; you can’t buy it in stores.” Chu Ge quickly gave a straightforward response.

The aunties were concerned and said, “Why won’t you find a proper job? It would be nice to work at your girlfriend’s company!”

Qiu Wuji finally asked, “Why would a renowned author work for someone else?”

Uncles:”?”

Aunties: “?”

A renowned author?

An author whose books couldn’t be bought in stores?

Did this girl get scammed into believing such nonsense?

At this moment, a young boy rushed out into the courtyard, exclaiming, “Brother Chu, you’re back! I told others that I live in the same neighborhood as Brother Chu, but no one believed me!”

Chu Ge asked in surprise, “Where have you been? Why didn’t anyone in the group chat come to find me?”

“Uh... I read a pirated version, but I’ve sincerely repented and reformed! Please let me be your follower, Brother Chu! I just saw the news. Penguin announced the production of your animation, and Tang Company officially started casting for the new tv drama. Brother Chu, you’re my idol!”

A television drama!

The looks on the faces of the old men and women changed dramatically.

Chu Ge patted the boy’s shoulder and said, “Let’s forget about being my follower.” Then he turned to look at the old folks and said with a smile, “My monthly salary has increased by more than 80 yuan, just enough to afford a house.”

The boy chuckled and said, “They don’t know, but you should know, Brother Chu. I have more views in my monthly rankings than the people in the neighborhood. Never mind, Brother Chu, are you moving back in?”

Chu Ge twitched his cheek and suddenly realized that this kid was making more money than him.

Unable to keep up the act, Chu Ge grabbed Qiu Wuji’s hand and fled in embarrassment, saying, “You have fun, I’m just taking my girlfriend to see our hometown...”

The boy followed behind, shouting, “Qiuqiu, my Qiuqiu!”

Qiu Wuji stumbled, almost breaking the heels of her high heels.

Turning around, she saw the Bridge of Forgetfulness calm and quiet, many people staring blankly, no longer filled with the previous sense of terror.

This wasn’t just Chu Ge’s success; it was the era’s success.